Locking device



Se t. 20, 1932 J. 5. PAULTON LOCKING DEVIC E Y Filed March 15, 1951 I a/se vk Br 6m 0% Co.

INVENTOR:

Hi5 ATTORNEYS.

Patented fiept. 20, 1932 air TA JOSEPH S. PAUL'I'ON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS LOCKING DEVICE Application filed. March 13, 1931. serial No. 522,367.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements in looking devices, and has for its principal object the provision of an improved construction of this character which 5) will be highly etficient in use and economical in manufacture.

It is an object of this invention to provide a locking device for refrigerator doors and to construct thesame so that it will occupy a 1 minimum of space in width since it is neces- 25 hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred form of construction, and in which: i

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical refrigerator 'door showing the invention associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view ofthe locking device on line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 isa sectional view on line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 in Fig. 3; V

Fig. '5 is a fragmentary view similar to 0 Fig. 3, but showing the parts of the locking device in a different position; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of certain elements of the locking device.

In the drawing, wherein a practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated, a recludes a door 11 hinged thereto as at 12. On the door 11 is mounted a latch structure, generally indicated at 13 and of any approved type since the same forms no part of thisin vention, and this latch structure 13includes a frigerator is generally indicated atlO and inhandle 14 which is pivotally mounted as at 21 (F1g.' 3), and this latch structure 13 includes a tongue 15 which is associated with a groove 16 in a bracket 17 that is screwed to the refrigerator 10 as at 18. By pressing downwardly on handle 14 the latch tongue 15 maybe lifted out of groove 16, over the shoulder 19 0f bracket 17 and when the door 11 is swung into closed position the tongue 15 will ride up the face 20 (Fig. 2) of bracket 17 and.

reenter the groove 16. The present invention provides a device for locking the latch tongue 15 in the groove 16 of the bracket 17, and this device will now be described.

The bracket 17 includes a foot 22 which 5 is secured to the wall 10 by screws 23 and this foot 22 provides the back wall of the housing 24 of the improved latch structure generally indicated at 25. The side walls 26 of the housing 24 are detachably secured to the back wall 22 by screws 27 (Fig. 4).

Slidably mounted in a boss 28 formed on the inner side of front wall 29 of housing 24 is a plunger 30 through which is extended a pin 31 and on plunger 30'between pin 31 and the top wall of boss 28 is a coil spring 32. On the lower end of plunger 30 is a block 33 which is adapted to slide in the housing 24 and through its open lower end 34 so as to lock the latch tongue 15 in the groove 16.

On the upper end of plunger 30 is a reduced portion or head 35 on the top of which is mounted, as by screws 36-, an arcuate or con cave plate 37, the plate 37 being an arc of a circle described by rotation of a cam 38,

which will be described more fully hereinafter. As has been stated hereinbefore, it is desirable that in a latching device for refrigerators, the walls 26 be as close together as possible since the locking device must frequently be mounted on a narrow parting strip between two doors of the refrigerator 10, and in order to make the housing 24 as narrow as possible and yet permit the cam 38 to be rotated'through an arc sufficient to depress the plunger 30 so that block 33 will lock tongue 15in groove 16 the cam 38 is constructed and arranged in a manner now to be described. 7

Rotatably mounted in an annular shoulder 39 that is disposed in the front or outside of front wall 29 of housing 24, and in a fixed sleeve 40 that is disposed onthe inside of wall 29, is a stub or key shaft 41 (Fig. 5) which has a segmentally formed end 42 that is fitted into a slot 43 in a plate 44 so that the plate 44 will rotate with shaft 41 when a suitable key 45 is inserted into a key slot formed in shaft 41.

Two similar slots 46 are formed in the cam plate 38 and thiscam plate 38 is slid-.I

ably mounted on plate 44 by means of screws 47 inserted through the slots 46 into plate 38. Formed in the plate 44 is a slot 48 and on the side of the cam'plat'e 38 that is dis posed toward the plate 44 a lug 49 is pro vided. A cam surface 50 is provided on the sleeve 40. a a

. The operation of the device is as follows: In unlocked position the plunger v30 will be disposed as in Figs. 2 and 3, and'the block 33 will be upraised so as to permit the latch tongue 35 to belifted out of groove 16. and

in this position of the parts of the device lug 49 will be disposed in slot 48 (Fig. 3). However, when the shaft 21 is rotated counterclockwise, as seen looking in from the right hand side in Fig. '2, the lug 49 will travel down the cam surface 50 and this cam surface has a rise in its lower end portion (see Figs. 3 and 6) so that the lug 49 will be forced out of the slot 48 as said lug travels down the cam surface 50 (see Figs; 3 and 6) whereby said lug 49 will be unable to reenter the slot 48 since said lug 49 will then be bearing against the rise on the cam surface 50. When, therefore, the lug 49 engages the arcuate plate 37 the plunger 31 and block 33 will be depressed against the actionof spring 32 and thereby lock latch tongue 15 in the bracket groove 16; To open, the locking de-, vice, the key 45 will be manipulated to rotate shaft 41, plate 44, plate 38 and lug 49 in a counterclockwise direction as seen m Fig. 5, which will cause lug 49 to travel up off the rise on the cam surface 50 and lug 49 will then reenter slot 48 in plate 44, thus releasing plate 37, plunger 37 and block 33 and spring 32will then act on the plunger 33 to raise block 33 and thereby" permit latch tongue 15 to be lifted out of groove 16.

It is apparent that while the hereinbefore described locking device is particularly adapted for use in connection with refrigerators it may be used in any manner in which a locking device of its type may be employed and it is not intendedtolimit the use of the invention to refrigerators.

While I have illustrated and'described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and. modification without'depart ing from the; spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set'forth, but

I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: V

1. In a locking device, a housing, a spring urged plunger slidably mounted in said housing, an arc-shaped plate on one end of said plunger, a key-slotted shaft rotatably mounttravel over said cam surface and be forced out of said slot to engage and depress said plunger and upon rotation of said shaft in the opposite direction said lug will disenglage said arc-shaped plate and reenter said s 0t. Y

2. In means for actuating a slidably mounted spring urged latching plunger, an arc-shaped plate on one end of said plunger, a key-slotted rotatable shaft, a cam sur-' face, a plate rotatable with said shaft and having a'slot formed therein,'a cam rotatable with said shaft and including a lug disposed in said slotwhen the plunger-is in unlatched position, whereby upon rotation of said shaft said lugwilltravel over and be forced by saidcam surface out of said slot and engage said arc-shaped plate and force said plunger into latching position.

. 3. In means for actuating a slidably mounted'spring urged latching plunger, an arc-shaped plate on one end of said plunger, a key-slotted rotatable shaft, a cam surface, a plate rotatable with said shaft and having a slot formed therein, a cam rotatable withsaid shaft and including a lug disposed in said slot when the plunger is in unlatched position, whereby upon rotation of said shaft'said lug will travel over and 4. In means for actuating a slidably mounted spring urged latching plunger, an

arc-shapedplate on one 'endofsaid plunger,

a key-slotted rotatable shaft, a cam surface,

a plate rotatable with said shaft and having a slot formed therein, a cam rotatable with said shaft and including a lug disposed in said slot :whenthe plunger is in unlatched position, whereby uponrotation of said shaft 2 I said lug Will travel over and be forced by said cam surface out of said slot and engage said arc-shaped plate and force said plunger into latching position, said cam having slots formed therein, and connecting elements extended through said slots into said second named plate permitting a limited sliding movement of said cam and lug with respect to said last named plate and slot.

5. In means for actuating a slidably mounted springurged latching plunger, an arc-shaped plate on one end of said plunger, a key-slotted rotatable shaft, a cam surface,

a plate rotatable with said shaft and having a slot formed therein a cam rotatable with said shaft and including a lug disposed in said slot when the plunger is in unlatched position, whereby upon rotation of said shaft said lug willtravel over and be forced by said cam surface out of said slot and engage said' arc-shaped plate and force said plunger into latching position, and .upon rotation ofsaid shaft in the opposite direction said lug will reenter said slot'and disengage said arc-shaped plate and said plunger thus be retained in unlatched position, said cam having slots formed therein, and connecting elements extended through said slots into said second named plate permitting a limited sliding movement of said cam and lug with respect to said last named plate and slot.

6. A device of the character described comprising a latching element including a head, a rotatable shaft, a cam surface fixed relative to the shaft, a portion rotatable with said shaft and having a slot provided therein, a member rotatable with said shaft and including a projecting portion adaptedto ride said cam surface and normally disposed in said slot when said latching element is in ineffective position, whereby upon rotation of said shaft and said members said projecting por tion will'travel over said cam surface and beforced thereby out of said slot into engagement with said head to move said latching element into eflective position.

7. A device of the character described comprising a latching element including a head, a rotatable shaft, a cam surface fixed relative to the shaft, a portion rotatable with said shaft and having a slot provided therein, a member slidably mounted on said portion, rotatable with said shaft and including a projecting portion adapted to ride said cam surface and normally disposed in saidslot when said latching element is in ineffective position, whereby upon rotation of said shaft and said members said projecting portion will travel over said cam surface and be forced thereby out of said slot into engagement with said he-ad'to move said latching element into effective position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my si nature.

JOSEPH s. PAUL roN. 

